Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-quantum-condensed-matter-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/section-b/5/a/solution

A magnetic field quantizes the transverse cyclotron motion into Landau levels. For a parabolic band, this is a harmonic oscillator with , , where and the half arises from its zero-point energy. Equivalently, semiclassical orbit quantization gives the stated flux sequence in increments of .
To relate real and momentum space, take and electron charge . The semiclassical Lorentz force is
Consequently and . The real-space orbit is a rotated copy of the transverse wavevector orbit, scaled by . Their areas satisfy . Since ,
This is Onsager quantization for the ordinary half-integer phase. For a circular parabolic orbit, reproduces the Landau energy spacing. The flux increment here concerns a single electron; it is distinct from the superconducting pair flux unit.

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